Michael Maier’s Atalanta Fugiens: Sources of an Alchemical Book of Emblems by H. M. E. De Jong

Michael Maier’s Atalanta Fugiens: Sources of an Alchemical Book of Emblems by H. M. E. De Jong, published in 1969 by E. J. Brill. The author was a 17th-century alchemist and physician to the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. Between 1614 and his death in 1622, Maier published a number of alchemical works, of which Atalanta Fugiens was undoubtedly the richest and most important. First published in 1617, it is one of the finest alchemical emblem books and unique in its own right.Michael Maier’s work is richly illustrated with original prints by M. Merian; each of the 50 emblems presented consists of a motto, print, epigram, and a three-part musical setting of the epigram, followed by an exposition of its meaning. Illustrated. Hardcover with bright gilt and only the very lightest shelfwear.